After the drama of the last two weeks, the ladies are getting together to have an evening of relaxation and bonding. Molly, Kelly, and Tiffany meet up at Issa’s place for a debrief on the plans. Then they crack out the weed to mellow out for their hot-stone massages and dinner.
But of course, this is Insecure, so nothing goes as planned. A pipe bursts at the spa and their appointments are canceled, so they decide to kill the time by pregaming in the three hours before their dinner reservation. Then Issa suggests they play “Questions in a Hat” despite Kelly’s warning about “the power it has.”
On the other side of town, Lawrence and Condola are meeting up for a quick Elijah handoff. Things seem to be much better between them now that he’s moved back to town and is (presumably) much more involved with his son. In fact, they’re so much better that Lawrence offers to do some quick work building a shelf Condola needs put together. It’s nice to see them co-parenting so effectively after the rough time they had right after Elijah was born.
Back at Issa’s, the women go round the room and answer questions from the hat. They’re silly and inconsequential, until Tiffany pulls a meaningful one: “If you could only spend the rest of your life with the last person you slept with, how would you feel?” Issa says she’s not sure, because things are up in the air with Nathan at the moment. She tells the girls that he called her “inconsistent,” and it’s clear from their reaction that they agree with him. Kelly points out that this is the game working as intended. There are more truths they’re about to uncover.
Molly gets a work phone call that makes her noticeably peppier, and the girls immediately descend on her for the details. She fills them in on her changing relationship with Taurean and acknowledges that there’s “some energy” there. As they tease her, Molly admits that she’s interested, but given that they’re co-workers, she isn’t sure whether to give him the green light. Just then, Issa’s smart speaker starts playing John Legend’s “Green Light,” which she takes as a sign to go for it with Taurean.
Lawrence and Condola are still doing well. As she struggles a little to get Elijah to eat from his airplane spoon (he’s safely on solid foods it seems), Lawrence suggests “a choo-choo train” instead and successfully demonstrates his technique. It’s a very small moment, but it gives us a lot of important information about how much more involved he’s been since we last saw him. Lawrence isn’t taking a backseat to parenting anymore. He’s actively engaging with his child and is learning on his own both how to take care of his son and how to parent effectively alongside Condola instead of against her. And Condola has definitely taken notice. She tells him that he’s a good dad, and the sentiment obviously means a lot to him.
The girls are still pulling preguntas from the hat. In response to a question about do-overs, Tiffany admits that she wouldn’t change anything, because everything she and Derek went through together got them to where they are now. Issa says she wishes she’d figured out her career earlier, and Tiffany says that quitting alcohol has given her clarity about her life’s purpose. She doesn’t want to help rich white men get richer anymore.
After a question about which of each other’s exes they’d like to fuck, Issa finally tells the girls about running into Lawrence and Condola at the hospital. She says she’s happy that they’re back together and that the news shouldn’t have surprised her, but she was hoping to get closure with Lawrence. After giving Tiffany a knowing look, Kelly fills Issa in on the tense fight Lawrence and Condola had at Simone’s birthday party in episode three. She reassures her that she dodged a bullet. But while Issa says she’s glad she’s not in the middle of something messy, she does say that she still feels guilty about how things ended between them. She tells the women that she loved Lawrence, and she feels bad about not reaching out after Elijah was born.
Molly reassures her that she made the right choice, but Tiffany interjects, saying that something doesn’t have to be the smart choice to be the right choice for you. Kelly tells her that her choice was smart and right, but Issa doesn’t seem convinced.
Since their dinner reservation is drawing close, the women start getting dressed to go out. When Issa returns a pair of earrings she’s been holding on to, Molly realizes it’s been three months since they’ve all been together, and this makes her emotional. Unlike Nathan, Molly is free with the “I love you”s and draws them all into a sentimental group hug. But Tiffany chooses the moment to drop a bombshell: She and Derek might be moving to Denver. The revelation shocks all the women, but Kelly the most.
Tiffany explains that Derek recently got a job offer, and because he has family in the city and the money would go a long way, they’re considering it. She tells them that she didn’t say anything sooner because she wasn’t ready to face the news. She admits that she’s afraid that if they decide to have more kids, she’ll get depressed again, but this time she won’t have her friends to look out for her. Molly assures her that if she needs them, they’ll be on the next flight to Denver. And Kelly promises that they’ll make it work. With their dinner reservation 20 minutes away, Tiffany pointedly asks Kelly “Should we go?” But Kelly’s saved from needing a response by Molly’s suggestion that they stay in and have another drink.
Back at Condola’s, Lawrence tells her that he’s happy they were able to work things out because Elijah is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. She says she’s happy to hear that, because when she was pregnant and they were on the outs, she considered having an abortion. He tells her she shouldn’t feel bad because things were rough between them and that he was an asshole. She tells him she wants him to be happy, and he tells her he wants the same for her. Finally, they seem to be 100 percent on the same page.
At Issa’s, in an homage to Waiting to Exhale, the girls have their own little turn-up on the balcony. They drink, smoke, dance, and enjoy each other’s company. Issa has the bright idea to kick things off with Taurean, so the women help Molly craft the perfect text. But as if awakened by the spirit of ex-boyfriends past, Dro calls before she can hit send. Seemingly inspired, Issa dials Lawrence, but Molly stops her. She tells her that this kind of behavior is precisely why Nathan thinks she’s inconsistent. Ever the good friend, Molly tells her that if she still wants to call when she’s sober in the morning, she should go right ahead.
The next morning, when the girls leave, Issa surveys the remains of their evening. She returns Nathan’s call from the night before, and he tells her that he’s always loved her, but he hadn’t ever said it before and got in his head about it. She apologizes for pressuring him, but he admits that he can be avoidant, so he’s committing to staying in L.A. and figuring his shit out. He ends the call by finally saying “I love you,” and Issa, satisfied, reciprocates. As she starts to clean up, her phone buzzes with an incoming call. It’s Lawrence returning. She lets it go to voice-mail.
We definitely haven’t heard the last of Issa and Lawrence, but what does that mean for her relationship with Nathan? Will Molly and Taurean be able to make it work? Will Tiffany and Derek really leave L.A.? Are Lawrence and Condola actually together? (It is unclear!) With only three more episodes left, I’m a little worried we won’t be able to resolve all these hanging plot threads. But we’re heading into the final stretch. Time to have some faith.
Week’s Best Woot Woots
• “Which one is he? Is he Love or is he Jones?” —Molly
• “I used to start every day drinking two Red Bulls. You know what? That’s probably why my period stopped from the time I was 20 to 25. Either that or I had a five-year pregnancy.” —Kelly
• “I think about Derek too, but you shouldn’t. That’s gross. That’s your husband!” —Kelly
• “Hey Taurean, do you object to these titties?”
“Objection overruled! How bout you give me some of that e pluribus anus?” —Issa and Kelly
• “I see you, For Coloured Girl!” —Issa
• “I’m worried you don’t know what literally means.” —Tiffany
• “The other day, I discovered … walking. Y’all ever just go on a walk?”
“We’ve invite you repeatedly.” —Kelly and Molly
• “Your shoes! I actually like them.” —Tiffany
• “These my going-out titties, but they can stay home.” —Tiffany
